The Hidden Value of Manual Labor: Why America's Skilled Trades Deserve More Respect Mary Barra, General Motors' CEO, has been making headlines with her impassioned plea to Gen Z students: don't overlook the skilled trades.
As a nation, we're facing a crisis that values white collar professions over blue collar ones, creating a societal problem that affects not just labor markets but also our economy, national security, and social cohesion.
The numbers are stark: an estimated 2. 1 million skilled trades jobs could go unfilled nationally by 2030.